Singapore’s Pan Pacific Orchard hotel crowned world’s best new skyscraper

(Photo credit: Pan Pacific Orchard)

Source: The Straits Times

The 23-storey Pan Pacific Orchard hotel in Singapore’s iconic shopping district has been recognised as the world’s best new skyscraper.

The award was part of a slew dished out by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a non-profit organisation founded in the United States.

It is recognised as the leading authority on skyscrapers globally.

The 140m-high Pan Pacific Orchard, which opened its doors in June 2023, also won three other awards, including the best tall building between 100m and 199m high.

The awards were announced at a conference in London and Paris from Sept 23 to 27.

The council’s chief executive Javier Quintana de Una said the hotel “represents the best of responsible vertical urbanism today”.

Vertical urbanism refers to an approach that emphasises the vertical development of urban spaces such as skyscrapers and multi-level structures that maximise land use, according to education platform Fiveable.

“By holistically incorporating greenery into its design, Pan Pacific Orchard honours Singapore’s heritage while pushing the envelope of sustainable urban development in a dense, urban setting,” the council said.

It also commended the hotel’s commitment to minimising energy consumption, water usage and waste. 

For instance, solar panels are used to power the common areas, rainwater is harvested for irrigation, and food waste is processed via an on-site biodigester.

Designed by Singapore-based Woha Architects, the 343-room hotel’s design brings the island’s four environments – forest, beach, garden and cloud – into one dramatic building.

At the Forest Terrace, guests step into a lobby with a high ceiling, dotted with soaring trees.

They can swim in emerald pools and frolic on a meandering sandy “beachfront” filled with swaying palms at the second zone, Beach Terrace.

The Garden Terrace features a manicured garden, complete with a verandah, event lawn, fountains and garden.

Finally, the Cloud Terrace serves as a gathering space for “events in the clouds” with its pillarless ballroom – one of the highest in Singapore.

Asian skyscrapers also shone at the annual awards, with Malaysia’s Petronas Towers receiving the Global Icon award and China’s Greenland Hangzhou Century Centre named Asia’s best tall building.

Submissions for the awards opened in December 2023 with a set of eligibility criteria for buildings contesting the tall building awards.

For example, at least 50 per cent of a building’s height must be occupiable. This means telecommunications or observation towers do not qualify for the award.

In the first round of judging, several winners received awards of excellence.

These award recipients then presented their projects at the council’s conference, where delegates and live juries chose an overall winner for each category.

The Pan Pacific Orchard building achieved a green plot ratio – which measures the amount of landscaped surfaces compared with a development’s site area – of more than 300 per cent.

In 2020, the hotel was awarded the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Platinum.

The award is Singapore’s highest environmental certification, recognising projects whose design and performance adhere to best practices in environmental sustainability.

Greening Singapore’s urban environment has always been a priority in planning for a quality living environment for residents, said Urban Redevelopment Authority’s group director of architecture and urban design Yap Lay Bee in a media release on Oct 2.

She said: “One innovative national strategy we adopt is partnering developers and architects to design buildings that incorporate vertical greenery in the forms of sky terraces, rooftop gardens and green walls.”

According to the Woha website, the practice also won the 2019 CTBUH Urban Habitat award and was Best Mixed-Use Building.

It also won the 2018 World Architecture Festival World Building of the Year for Kampung Admiralty, and CTBUH Best Tall Building Worldwide for the Oasia Hotel Downtown.

Mr Wong Mun Summ, co-founder of Woha, said:

“Pan Pacific Orchard demonstrates that we can do more in our buildings for nature, with nature. It pushed the boundaries on tall building design, bringing nature and amenities into multiple levels to deliver a highly sustainable and liveable environment.”